Developing My Dynamism - Chapter 2
My Reflection after Watching the First Video Oh my God! What impact three minutes of inspiration/ motivation can unearth. At the beginning of the video I felt fearful. The speech brought back to mind some of the dreams and aspirations that I had, one that I had basically forgotten about and those that I presently struggle with. I came face to face with the reality – my success at UWI is required for some of my dreams to be realized. I desire a hostile approach. I want my doubts “to starve to death”. Doubts are hurdles which have presented themselves in the form of negative words from others, pessimism, lack of support as well as social and economic difficulties. Amidst these hurdles I have been both a stallion and a kitten. However for the rest of my journey through these studies- I must embrace the more powerful symbol. I must get that “medal”, that “reward”, that dream. “I can do it”. “It’s possible”. My success – my dream is CERTAIN. . I wish that I could have this video to play monthly – just as a reminder that “I can do it” and “It’s possible”. I think that I will share this video on my social network to inspire others even as I have been inspired. I searched for other videos on change which I shared with my colleagues in order to improve their understanding and trigger thoughts. Please view and share your thoughts. Change as the Challenge to Professional Stagnancy A Collaborative Reflection by the members of Group D Danielle Shepherd, Doniecia Ganness-Phillip, Ikarmola Laborde, Paula Deacon-Gomez and me – Nicole Barker Unit two brought new insight and meaning to change to us as a group. As we reflected on what we all gathered individually from the activities, we realized that change must be made personally and professionally if we are to experience the type of change that would yield positive benefits for everyone around us. As educators we do not want to be viewed and labelled as being stagnant. This unit helped us to see that we must be constantly aware of what is going on in our environment so that we can continuously contribute to our educational community regardless of what our area of specialty may be. As the unit helped us to see that we must be wide-life learners who are always open and ready for change. We are all transformational leaders and as highlighted by Shields (2010) we must be willing and ready to make changes in our lives so that individuals around us can benefit. The journey to change is not an easy road but it is one that we must all be willing and ready to traverse. Changes that we make must take place on various levels for it to be truly effective. References Shields, C. (2010) Transformative Leadership: Working for Equity in Diverse Contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly. 46: 558. Retrieved February 13, 2013 from http://sp.eths.k12.il.us/wilburnm/PMLA/PMLA%20Class%20of%202012/Unit%20 Information/Leadership%20101/Transformative%20and%20Transactional.pdf In light of the global trends, what evidence can I provide to support the view that I am professionally stagnant or progressive – moving with the times? Screen Copy of Dynamic Learning =EDLM3007 Reflective Practice in Action11 - Semester 1 - (2013-2014)= http://courses.open.uwi.edu/help.php?component=moodle&identifier=search&lang=enSearchSearch forums Page path*Home */ ► My courses */ ► The Learning Exchange Semester 2 (2013-2014) */ ► EDLM3007_2 */ ► Topic 3 */ ► ... Evidence & Reflection on Learning Activities */ ► MC - Activity 2.2 http://courses.open.uwi.edu/user/view.php?id=3279&course=285MC - Activity 2.2 by Nicole Barker - Wednesday, 19 February 2014, 3:51 PM Activity 2.2 Learning Activity 2.2 • Think about a profession, career or a work situation of your choice and consider the groups of stakeholders that contribute to this context and the nature of their contribution. Collect data to find out the conceptual knowledge, dispositions and skills that each group requires in order to function effectively and to cope with global trends. Situate yourself in one of these groups; what competencies do you bring to this group as a leader-worker, to influence its profile? Share your findings in the discussion forum. The profession I am using for this activity is that of an educator – a principal to be exact. Group of Stakeholders and the Nature of their Contributions Conceptual Knowledge, Dispositions and Skills Required to Function Effectively and to Cope with Global Trends. All groups need to keep themselves abreast of current issues and different ways in which they can contribute to the progress of their community and school. Where necessary, each group can undertake formal training in specific areas. For clarity, I will use the working definitions below. Conceptual Knowledge refers to the understanding of principle, structures and theories within a particular discipline (Definition, 2014). Disposition refers to a person’s innate tendency or inclination (The Concise, 2002). Skills relate to the ability to do well with the use of knowledge, attitude, tools and any other resource (Skill, 2014) Reference Definition of conceptual knowledge. (2014). Ask. Retrieved from http://www.ask.com/question/definition-of-conceptual-knowledge Skill. (2014). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/skill The Concise Oxford English Dictionary. (2002). Oxford University Press. New York. Sage Situate yourself in one of these groups; what competencies do you bring to this group as a leader-worker, to influence its profile? As a leader- worker in the team of teachers I bring many areas of competencies to influence the work context profile. My competencies include: #My positive self image and self esteem which helps me to engage others and enlist their cooperation for achieving goals #I am a trained educator who embraces life-long learning. This puts me in a position of continuous awareness which benefits the work place profile. I also encourage the same attitude toward learning within my work place and any learning community that I get involved in. #Leadership skills which allows me to facilitate the growth and development of others in my learning community. I am a transformational leader – sharing the vision of empowerment and culture change where necessary within groups (Principles, 2010) #Interpersonal skills which help me to promote and maintain harmonious group dynamics Reference Principles of leadership and management in education. (2010) Theory and Practice of Educational Leadership and Management. University of the West Indies Open Campus. Replyhttp://courses.open.uwi.edu/user/view.php?id=3278&course=285Re: MC - Activity 2.2by Claudia Toussaint - Wednesday, 19 February 2014, 11:26 PM ''' This is an interesting post Nicole. I appreciate your identification of interpersonal skills as one of your areas of competencies to influence the work context profile. Interpersonal skills at the workplace are essential for • Interacting effectively with peers, superiors, and assistants • Understanding the feelings of others • Analyzing behavior of self and others in group situations • Demonstrating effective social behavior in a variety of settings and under different circumstances • Maintaining group cooperation and support • Making and keeping commitments to others ReferenceTFG(n.d). How to manage organisational change. Retieved fromhttp://www.fortunegroup.com.au/managing-change-in-the-workplace Show parent | Replyhttp://courses.open.uwi.edu/user/view.php?id=3279&course=285Re: MC - Activity 2.2by Nicole Barker - Monday, 24 February 2014, 10:37 AM''' Good Day Claudia Thank you for responding to my post. I appreciate the additional information on interpersonal skills. I can include each of them in my daily interaction with colleagues. The matter of being cognizant of the emotional state of yourself and others is quite pivotal in the workplace. When leaders are not aware of this pivotal factor of emotional intelligence, many team members are affected negatively (Cherry, 2014). However, if they are emotionally intelligent, there is room for harmony and increased productivity (Cherry, 2014). Reference Cherry, K. (2014). What is emotional intelligence? Psychology. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/emotionalintell.htm Show parent | Reply